70 Music Artist Watch: Mud

In the hits of the 1970s the band Mud were a family favourite group. They were Glam rock, but they were fun too. They gavethe 70s music chart the ability to have many great hits, and to be enjoyed by all age groups, in fact they were more like an entertainment TV series than a pop group.


Mud started in 1966, but it was not until they linked up with the RAK label and Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman that things really started to move.

The very first chart hit came in 1973 with "Crazy" that got the boys to No.12 with nothing amazing but a good pop records of it's time.

Lyrics to "Crazy".

The group consisted of vocalist Les Gray who was born in 1946, but died from a heart attack caused by the throat cancer he endured in 2004. He was on holiday in Portugal when it happened, and had just had his voice box saved and was ready to go on tour with other 1970s stars.

The band this year apperaed on the "Basil Brush Show", making them family friendly and also toured with Tom Jones.

The next single to chart in the 70s music UK charts was Hypnosis, which was very much along the lines of the first single.

Lyrics to "Hypnosis".

Another member of the 70s hit group was Rob Davis, who born in 1947 was the main guitarist with the group.Later in 1977 he worked with The Tremeloes, and in later life wrote and produced for Kylie Minogue and won a Grammy in 2004.

Back in 1973 Mud had their third hit of that year, and the biggest of that year with "Dynamite", this got to No4 in the BBC charts, and was the one before the bigger hits that were to come.

Lyrics to "Dynamite".

Bass guitarist Ray Stiles moved onto the Hollies when Mud split.

Now the next single in 1974, would become thebest selling single of that year. It would start a new dance craze, and really put the group  as a major British pop act. So much so, that in 70s hit music TV shows, they were on every programme non stop. During the sucess of this single the BBC seemed to have shares in the group,a s from Childrens TV shows to adult entertainment shows and Top Of The Ops they were evrywhere.

This single was the very first of three huge number ones that the group would produce with the help of Chinn and Chapman.

Lyrics to "Tigerfeet".

Mud were now a huge group selling so many singles and dominating the radio, so they had to come up with something big for the next single. They did, and it got as high as No.2 with with "The Cat Crept In" which had a similar feel to "Tigerfeet" and a similar Dance too.

The next single was "Rocket" and charted to No.6.

It was clear that Mud were needing a little something special, and that is what they did at the end of 1974 with a record that is now played in the UK every year at Christmas time. It is the ultimate MUD record, and Les Gray sings this is a style of Elvis Presley, but it really works.

See the video and some other records that charted in Christmas 1974.

Drummer Dave Mount stayed with the group for years, and after leaving he dropped out of the music business, and in 2006 Dave committed suicide.

The hits kept coming in 1975 with good pop records like "The Secrets That You Keep" a number three hit. Then a number ten hit with "Moonshine Sally", a smaller hit with "l llucy". Other singles that year did not make the top twenty.

Howver their last chart hit of 1975 was a great piece of pop with "Show Me Your A Woman", this had a real grown up feel to the group, and was a welcome hit from the glam rock group, who mow seemed to be changing direction.

Lyric to "Show Me Your A Woman"

However the group was running out of steam, and in 1976 the song "Shake It Down" was one of few that even charted for the group. This would be the last year Mud would have single charts, but of course the memory of the fun times they all gave us will stay with us always.

The very last hit single to chart was the very beautiful "Lean On Me" written by Bill Withers in 1972.